Sparkling Sharpening

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all doing well. It’s been a while since my last update, and I apologize for the delay. Due to the impact of the coronavirus, our business had to temporarily close. However, during this period, we received many requests for knife repairs and sharpening, providing us with the opportunity to work with a wide variety of knives.

Today, I’d like to share a story about one of the recent knives I worked on, which belongs to Ueda Sensei. It’s an INOX Hontetsu Wa-bocho, and we performed a significant transformation by converting it to Honkasumi+ style. We reset the ura (back), hira (flat), and cutting edge to give it a completely new blade geometry. This included a fresh honbaduke to enhance its cutting performance. The special addition of the sparkling honbaduke, even though it has a traditional wood finish, gives the knife a dazzling appearance. I believe this knife will gently support Ueda Sensei’s exceptional knife skills whenever it is put to use.

I used diamond stones #325, #500, “Steel Material Unrestricted” #3000, and then #8000 Kitayama for sharpening. There are some fine scratches remaining after the #500 diamond stone, but we debated whether using Shapton Blade’s Kuromaku #2000 might make it even cleaner. However, spending too much time buffing out those minor imperfections might not be necessary.

Ueda Sensei was delighted and happily took the knife back, so we’ll consider it a success! Now, the real test is how the knife performs – its cutting precision, sharpness, and remarkable durability when put to use. We’re eagerly waiting for Ueda Sensei’s impressions!

And guess what else? We have another exciting tale to share! We’ve got a fresh addition to our knife family – the 150mm Deba Kishubusshin, a brand-new purchase made by one of our amazing customers.

This fantastic customer provided us with detailed information about their usage scenarios, ideals, and wishes, and we worked our best to bring their dreams to life through the perfect blade geometry. Our mission: To deliver a knife that cuts with precision, is razor-sharp, and stays sharp for the long haul.

“Sharpness” was achieved by carefully crafting the cutting edge structure through skilled sharpening techniques. While thinning the edge enhances sharpness, it also weakens the blade physically. To maintain blade integrity while achieving a keen edge, we skillfully used a gentle concave shape to thin the blade tip, reinforced with Itohiki sharpening technique. The “sharpness” also depends on the compatibility with the sharpening stone.

Although the white steel used doesn’t require a specific type of sharpening stone, we selected a #3000 stone to ensure a perfect edge for cutting through fresh and tender fish. The sparkling part of the blade was meticulously polished with a #10000 stone to enhance rust resistance.

As for “long-lasting sharpness,” we rely on the blacksmith’s exceptional heat treatment expertise. Our contribution lies in guiding the blade towards lasting sharpness with the Hamaguri and Itohiki techniques.

In addition to purchasing the knife, you have also acquired a set of compatible sharpening stones. We hope our knives will bring you joy while preparing meals. If you can enjoy cooking with your Kishubusshin knife, it would make us truly happy.
hibishugyo

• 2020-09-10